This SDG seeks to examine the life and times of Vladimir Putin primarily using a brand new biography by Philip Short simply titled, Putin. The core book explores in unprecedented depth the personality of its enigmatic and case-hardened leader and challenges many of our preconceptions about Putin and Russia. Short's purpose is to explore Putin's personality, to understand what motivates him and how he has become the leader that he is. The biography examines Putin's working class childhood, his education as a lawyer, his career as a KGB operative, his stint as the deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, his rise under Yeltsen, his becoming prime minister and multiple terms as President. The book also explores Putin's views concerning the USSR and its collapse, capitalism, democracy, the free press, the oligarchs, corruption, Russia's place in the World, NATO, Kosovo, Chechnya, 9/11, the 2016 US election, Georgia, Syria, the Crimea, Ukraine and many others. Since becoming President in 2000, his goal has been to restore Russia's status as a great power. What forces and experiences shaped him? What led him to challenge the American-led world order? These any many other questions will be addressed in this SDG.
1. Prologue and Chapter 1. Baskov Lane.
2. Chapter 2. Legal Niceties and Chapter 3. The Big House and Chapter 4. Quite Days in Saxony.
3. Chapter 5, Back in the USSR.
4. Chapter 6. The Grey Cardinal and Chapter 7. The View from the Neva.
5. Chapter 8. Moscow Rules and Chapter 9. The Cap of Monomakh.
6.Chapter 10. Power Vertical.
7. Chapter 11. Bonfire of Illusions.
8. Chapter 12. The Russian Idea and Chapter 13. Body Politic.
9. Chapter 14. Tandemocracy and Chapter 15. The Straightjacket Tightens.
10. Chapter 16. Payback.
11. Chapter 17. Nemtsov, Wild Boar Sausages and The End of Liberalism, Chapter 18. The Endgame and Afterword.
12. Judging Putin. Gideon Rachman, "Understanding Vladimir Putin the Man Who Fooled the World," https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/09/understanding-vladimir-putin-the-man-who-fooled-the-world?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other. Timothy Snyder, "What We Need to Know About Ukraine's History," World Economic Forum, July 29, 2022, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/07/timothy-snyder-ukraine-history/."Putin's Road to War," PBS Frontline, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsfUiTJv2lE. "Inside Putin's Russia," PBS Newshour. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AkAZIk73F0. "Putin's Way," PBS Frontline https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIgqhU4lkgo. One Year Into the War, Putin is Crafting the Russia He Craves https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/19/world/europe/ukraine-war-russia-putin.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare. Why Negotiating an End to the War Should Be a Priority https://www.npr.org/2023/01/08/1147737177/why-negotiating-an-end-to-the-russia-ukraine-war-should-be-a-priority. Year Two of the Ukraine War Is Going to Get Scary https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/05/opinion/ukraine-war-putin.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare. A Year of War: The Roots of the Crisis https://www.nytimes.com/article/russia-ukraine-nato-europe.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare.
Supplementary material as it becomes available.
Philip Short, Putin, Henry Holt and Company, 2022.
Gideon Rachman, "Understanding Vladimir Putin the Man Who Fooled the World," The Gurardian, April 9, 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/09/understanding-vladimir-putin-the-man-who-fooled-the-world?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other.
Timothy Snyder, "What We Need to Know About Ukraine's History," World Economic Forum, July 29, 2022, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/07/timothy-snyder-ukraine-history/.
"Putin's Road to War," PBS Frontline, March 15, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsfUiTJv2lE.
"Inside Putin's Russia," PBS Newshour, July 21, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AkAZIk73F0.
"Putin's Way," PBS Frontline, January 13, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIgqhU4lkgo.
One Year Into the War, Putin is Crafting the Russia He Craves https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/19/world/europe/ukraine-war-russia-putin.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Why Negotiating an End to the War Should Be a Priority https://www.npr.org/2023/01/08/1147737177/why-negotiating-an-end-to-the-russia-ukraine-war-should-be-a-priority.
Year Two of the Ukraine War Is Going to Get Scary https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/05/opinion/ukraine-war-putin.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare.
A Year of War: The Roots of the Crisis https://www.nytimes.com/article/russia-ukraine-nato-europe.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare.
Supplementary material as it becomes available.